Bedridden by botched knee surgery, Mumbai man walks again after 3 yrs

By Anuradha Varanasi |Posted 07-Jun-2014

61-year-old had lost all hope after his knee surgery led to an infection

After almost a year of being confined to a bed, 61-year-old Kantilal Nagda was devastated when a consulting doctor told him that his right leg would have to be amputated. His knee had deteriorated due to an infection, barely two years after he underwent a bilateral knee-replacement surgery.

Nagda was diagnosed with arthritis in 2006, and he underwent the surgery in 2011 at a private hospital in Chembur. However, less than a year after the operation, he started noticing pus oozing out of his knee.

“I was in a lot of pain and was prescribed antibiotics. However, it only gave me temporary relief. At one time, I was taking two-three different antibiotics every day,” said the Sion resident, who was forced to take early retirement from a private firm in 2012 because of his health. Nagda was left bedridden and could only walk with the help of a stick.

“When even the antibiotics stopped helping, I consulted two doctors. That was when one of them told me that the condition of my knee had deteriorated to the point that it needed to be amputated. I had lost all hope of ever walking again,” he added.

A relative then referred him to the head of the orthopaedics department of KEM Hospital, Dr Pradeep Bhosale. Dr Bhosale observed that the Nagda had developed resistance to the prescribed antibiotics and his knee implant was covered by a ‘pseudo membrane’ of bacterial infection.

“Our only option was to remove the implant and replace it with a temporary cement mould filled with antibiotics that would tackle the infection for a few months. The immune system was unable to fight the infection as it was festering on the implant,” said Dr Bhosale.

He added that the infection could have been caused either due to unsterilised hospital equipment or due to lack of experience on the surgeons’ part. “Some orthopaedic surgeons do not have proper experience in knee- or hip-replacement surgeries. If the procedure is not done properly, it can lead to infection, prolonging the patient’s suffering.”

After the cement mould, Nagda finally underwent a second knee replacement surgery last month, after which he underwent physiotherapy sessions and was discharged on Tuesday.

“It is such a relief to be able to walk again. I can finally put this entire ordeal behind me,” said Nagda.